Shutdown.

Well, we're right up against the deadline for the government to shut down, and there doesn't seem to be an agreement between the two houses of  Congress and the President on the horizon.

Senate Democrats are poised to strip funding amendments from the bill, and send it back to the House, where they may either approve of it as is, or try another maneuver to put the chains on the current President's signature Health Care legislation.

Boehner would like to put the legislation on the back-burner for another year, as well as repealing the tax on medical devices, which is 2.3%.

Democrats seem to want to pin the blame of a shutdown solely on Republicans, while Obama and the Democrats don't want to negotiate at all on anything. Even with tons of cracks showing in the legislation. Even plenty of unions are up in arms over this law. They claim it will slash the traditional 40-hour workweek and the benefits that they currently enjoy. Everything isn't so neat, cut, and dry.

Why are Obama and the Democrats in such a rush to push this obviously-flawed, destructive piece of legislation forward? The warts are already showing. Is there a better, less expensive system that we can hem together? What are they not telling the general public that they should be aware of? Do we have other options? More tools in our toolbag? More ways to save money? More assets to be incorporated to cut bloated healthcare costs?

If so, shouldn't the WHOLE public be involved in the discussion before we rush forward?

Sen. Chuck Schumer claims "It is extortion. It's holding the good of the country - the economy, middle-class people at risk."

What's really extortion is holding the public hostage and obstructing an open and honest debate without all of the NEW facts out in the public view, so people can decide for themselves just what they really do or do not need, and what is actually necessary to meet the needs of the citizens of this country.

Extortion is holding people's paychecks hostage and blaming the other party because you are so hell bent on the law kicking into gear without open and honest debate, with the entire American populace tuned in and paying attention.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Mr. Schumer.

The Spirit that resides within me has raised almost 20 persons from the grave.
Terminal and inoperable cancers are absolutely nothing.

Let's be totally frank.
You want to cut health care costs?
It is a gift from God.

It is a truly honest place to start.

Break it Down.

It's high time to tackle some important topics.
The first being sexual orientation, as a lack of knowledge and shoddy research has caused a lot of pain, strife, and misunderstanding.

Most research and scientific evidence points to the simple fact that sexual orientation is innate and inborn. Genetics may play a role (although there is no singular "gay gene"), but the most important factor seems to be prenatal hormones, and the effect they have on brain formation in the womb.

Unfortunately, some people have used scripture to wrongly promote the idea that your sexual orientation is something that can be changed; that it is a "choice." They've promoted the notion that it is unlike the color of your eyes, your height, or your skin color.

One passage commonly used to support that supposition would be Romans 12:2.
It reads, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

We must go line by line.
Precept by precept.

I always keep my "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance" (2010 edition) close by.
The definition of "is" is not even taken at face value, as you may gloss over something extremely noteworthy and edifying.
 
The word "anakainosis" in Greek is synonymous with "a renewal," and it means "the adjustment of the moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is designed to have a transforming effect upon the life."

It has nothing to do with your being, but your thinking.
It doesn't mean that you are not a "real" Christian or that you have not been praying hard enough if your sexual orientation happens to be anything but heterosexual.

In other words, when you are born again, you gain a new perspective, and see things through the proper spiritual lens. As God wants you to see it.

Another commonly cited scripture would be 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
It reads, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Some have used this phrase to claim that these people who "have not prayed hard enough" will not ever receive salvation, and are doomed to an afterlife separated from the presence of God."Effeminate" here is representative of the Greek word "malakos."
In this instance, it conveys the message signifying "not simply of a male who practices forms of lewdness, but persons in general, who are guilty of addiction to sins of the flesh."

It is referring to the actions that one chooses to partake in, and nothing to do with ones masculinity or femininity. The passage has been mangled and misused to bash people, which is unfortunate. Only with the assistance of the Holy Spirit can one withstand temptation, and live a life that is pleasing to God. This is not to imply that you will never "mess up," or be perfect (I am certainly not implying that). But I am driving the point home that God loves us all, and to make people feel any worse off or "less than" compared to you and the things that you struggle with is not of God, and it is not Christlike. To single people out and have people jumping off of bridges because of your bigotry is unacceptable.

In reference to Romans 1:25-27, the word "change" in verse 26 is properly and more fully translated into Greek as "metallasso" It continues in the concordance, "This word means totally to surrender one thing for another, and exchange meaning a supposedly equivalent swap."

What does this definition outline?
The concept of Bisexuality.
It's not a new concept.

Furthermore,be encouraged with Romans 8:1, which reads, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, I must make an important note that many people don't seem to be aware of.
That note would be the fact that the Holy Spirit is of the feminine gender.

Surprised?
What happened?

Research seems to point to the notion that it was the Greek Orthodox church that was responsible for obfuscating this fact in translation. The reason seems to be the fact that Gnostics of that time period were known to have large numbers of women in the ministry, which the Orthodox church did not approve of. Studying old manuscripts, it becomes obvious that Christ himself referred to the Holy Spirit as a "she," of feminine gender.

This makes sense, as creativity is considered a feminine trait, and the Spirit was directly involved in the creation of all that we see and know.

In the book of Genesis, it is conveyed that "the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Genesis 1:26-27 reads, " And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

God created man in the "image," or likeness, of God.
In other words, having both masculine and feminine traits.
This is clear and obvious even when we look at ourselves from a biochemical standpoint.
A man's hormonal makeup is not just comprised of testosterone, but also estrogen.
A woman's biological makeup consists of not only feminine hormones, but also male hormones.

Why is this?
Imagine trying to function with only the qualities of one gender.

If all I could do is grunt and smash rocks, I could never be self-sufficient for any period of time.I simply couldn't last.
 
The feminine gender of the Holy Spirit brings together the complete picture of a family.

Father, Son, and Mother.
It just makes sense.

Stop the Madness.

Deuteronomy 14:22-28

I'm just going to start off with one single, salient point that I believe is important to know: I grew up in a very “legalistic” church from the days of my youth. In other words, if you had a beer, you were “backsliding,” and someone was off to get the anointing oil to pray for you. The whole “I don't drink, smoke, or chew, and I don't hang with those who do” type thing (Do be mindful of the company you keep, but that is beside the point here. Also, tobacco is horrible.).

Here's another good point to know.
I questioned this “legalistic” thinking pretty much from the get-go.

“If Jesus turned water into wine, you mean to tell me that I can't have a drink? How does that make any sense?”

It just didn't seem right.
And my instincts were backed up when I finally sat under a sermon concerning the Feast of Tabernacles (which is referenced in verses 22-27).

In addition to the first tenth (tithe) which went to the Levites (the priestly tribe), another tithe of your increase was to be set aside for special fellowship with God's people at given places at given times during the year. During these holy times, people came from all over, some bringing fruit, vegetables, oxen, and sheep amongst other things. Yes, “other things” sometimes included wine and liquor.

Why did/do people do these things?
The text already tells us.

“That thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.”
To remind us that God isn't a total killjoy.
He kind of got that rep for some reason.

I feel my spider sense tingling.
Someone out there is about to throw out 1 John 2:15-17.

“Man, those passages seem to contradict each other.”

No, they do not.
Pay attention.

First off, the Feast of Tabernacles, as stated, is a holy act of worship.
This is not the same situation mentioned or described in 1 John.
Not by a long shot.

Second of all, the “love” used in 1 John means “in a social or moral sense.”
As you would a living being, like God.

In their proper places, as responsible adults, there is nothing wrong with these substances.
You can like or enjoy a good Merlot but love God.
Got it?

I wanted to bring it back to verse 26 in Deuteronomy 14 KJV and the key word “whatsoever” (“whatever,” ESV)

Just for clarification.

Using such strong language in the literal sense would indeed conflict with other passages in the Bible, so I looked into the root of this word's presence in the text.

There is no corresponding word in Hebrew, so the translators decided to pick the word up and use it.

In keeping with the spirit (not the letter, obviously) of the text, with wine and liquor in the background (in addition to other things I know and have been told), is it a stretch to say that it'd be strange or outlandish to see an adult show up smelling like he just hunted, trapped, and bagged a skunk at one of these events?

Absolutely not.

Although the type of legalism I described above is a commandment taught of men, and is as filthy rags unto God, it may be this type of contortion, gaps in reasoning or logic, or (unintentional) dishonesty that sends many adolescents away from common sense and off the deep end when they do hit the age when they are able to make most of their decisions on their own.


Recreationally, I believe that marijuana should be treated like alcohol.
It also wreaks less havoc on the body.

Medicinally?

Don't even get me started on the DEA and its bold-faced lie of putting it in the same category as Heroin. It's an outright lie, and everyone knows it.

Let's ignore the evidence and case study after case study of it alleviating symptoms of nausea, MS, migraines, Alzheimer's, etc.

No medicinal benefit?

For chronic pain management, I guess we'd rather shove opiates down patients' throats.
Right?

The Mailbag.

First, I've decided to answer my first piece of "fan" mail.
Not just because it is good to give these people some airtime to make things interesting and "balanced," but because it sets a precedent on how I will deal with certain things in the future.

Names and locations have been changed, because, unlike others, I value some semblance of privacy and decency.

The rest of the content of the submitted editorial remains unaltered.


Easton: Look in Mirror
While Middleground school Superintendent Hank Easton complains annually for more money, his bank account sure doesn't. His overpriced, $250,000 salary could hire almost 10 new teachers for the Middleground School District.

School taxes have more than doubled over the past 10 years Easton has been in command. Although significant improvements have been made, is the school system twice as good? Not even close. Depending who you ask, the situation is worse, especially in terms of preparing students for college.

I hope one day Easton looks in the mirror and realizes how many foreclosures he has caused indirectly by not budgeting within the district's means, and that he himself has caused poverty in his own district that he uses as a perpetual soapbox to stand on.

No, Mr. Easton, asking the state or federal government for more money is not the answer. They will just raise taxes again themselves and make people even poorer as a result.

You can teach a kid high school kid algebra with a 99-cent notebook and a 25-cent pencil if the kid is interested, motivated, and the teacher is decent. High school education results are more of an American culture problem than a money problem.

The same could be said to the teacher's union and Mr. Easton. Stop being so greedy and think of all the great things we still have that others don't- before we don't.

Georges Pompidou
2001 MHS alumus
Middleground

I picked this particular missive for a reason: it is rife with so many misrepresentations and so much misinformation that I almost don't know where to start. I do, though. I'll address it point-by-point.

1) I used the opportunity offered to me to become a spy 4 years ago to expose misconduct, corruption, and to help bridge the partisan gridlock with workable, real solutions before the country reached the point of no return. This liaison/laser-like focus work was done on a volunteer basis. I am going to operationally define the word "volunteer" for you, so that you are no longer disoriented, get confused, or spread misinformation.

2) That being said, I always have, and still do "work for free." Any large sum of money coming my way is called "damages" for unethical, unwanted, invasive, and frankly inhumane treatment that I've had to deal with. It's as if I was just walking down the street to grab a hoagie at a place highly recommended by Person A, minding my own business, and was assaulted and had my clothes ripped off by Person B. Then, I was awarded damages. Then you have the gall to call me a stripper? If there's a better analogy, it escapes me. When you are hoodwinked, you are hoodwinked.

3) If I were greedy, I would have sued the pants off of the hospital I was admitted to last year when I had a near-lethal scrape with lithium toxicity and suffered physical trauma as result, just like everyone was telling me to. Alas, I didn't. It's called class. They deal with this stuff on a daily basis, and they are compassionate people. I'm sure it wasn't intentional. (I almost certainly would not have had that episode had I followed the doctor's instructions and stayed hydrated, but nearly unpredictable factors like a heat wave and a windowless room with no circulation created a perfect storm situation. As a matter of fact, I just plain stopped taking Lithium after this happened. Why? My family asked me to, and I honored that request.) I am alive, and I am thankful.

Also, you know what? I feel that I can give money away better than the government can. Especially to the poor, neighborhoods, schools, and causes that are near and dear to me.

My time to the sick and afflicted is priceless (Who can put a price on their health?), but it is free. There are few things in life that bring me more joy than petitioning the Lord on someone else's behalf for restored health. Or even bringing them back to their loved ones, and giving them a new lease on life.

I receive SSD benefits because I qualify for them (I wonder why?).
And guess what?
I ask not for another dime from the state.
In fact, I could repay it all and then some.

My complaint (Shared by many, it is almost unanimous.) is that "the rent is too damn high."
I don't care who you are, but $25 a week would have anyone a little miffed.

I am re-arranging my life to remedy this problem, and I'm surely not demanding anything more of the state.

4) You know just where to send your sour grapes about the "perpetual soapbox" that you complain about. Same place I did. Nothing changes. Unless you have some sort of hookup and can get it done immediately. Until then, you're just going to have to wait like everyone else. (Just so you know, this is MUCH, MUCH more than a soapbox, as I have told you before, and will show you again later. It's a tripod.)

Hopefully there will be less envy and cheap potshots against hardworking volunteers, because hopefully these bitter individuals will be prosperous in their own right. Why? Because that person they kept taking cheap shots at actually followed through and did the lion's share in pushing through meaningful change.

Thanks for taking the time to write.

-Yours Truly

Now that I've got that out of the way, some useless/useful information that held some significance to me.

The other day, as I was going through a shoebox-sized plastic box of old mementos, including old pay stubs from McDonald's, old letters from my retired 5th grade teacher, and mix cd lists amongst other things, I found some old leftover patches and badges from my days in Scouts. I found my Quartermaster badge (Along with my previous position badges such as Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader.) I also found the only three merit badges I had earned, as I was mostly into it for the brotherhood and companionship. They were the Rifle, First Aid, and Citizenship in the World merit badges.

Interesting factoids.


Before I finish, it's time to get down to justification, or being seen right in the sight of God.
The first step is listening to Him.
Without it, it is a hopeless endeavor.
He is omnipotent, omnipresent, all-wise, doesn't play politics, doesn't form cliques, etc.
People do these things, not God.

 Isaiah 30: 26-32

Here, the Hebrew word for "name," "shem" (pronounced "shame") was given to be synonymous with "fame" or "reputation," according to Mr. James Strong's Biblical concordance. We could just as easily add "pull," "weight," "power", or "influence" here.

He is the Shepherd of my Soul.
He is in Paradise as we speak.
Notice that geographical boundaries do not stop him from carrying out the duties of a shepherd.
Nor does the world stop spinning simply because he is currently physically not with us.
He does not have to be.

Isaiah 11

His power and influence, even from a distance, is an unbelievably heavy burden.
Anyone speaking for him? They just might turn into a flamethrower.



Isaiah 29
Jeremiah 30
Isaiah 30: 18-23 


We all like a bit of certainty in an uncertain time of rumor and fear mongering.
The American family deserves it.
It is a right, not a privilege.

We are stronger united than we are balkanized, confused, and angry.
Our best days are yet ahead.

Until next time, as I am working on a work that weaves fairly well into this one.

Flashback- 02/08/12 Entry

I don't think any words are necessary.
I already knew how I would be portrayed or viewed.
"Smart" and "prodigious" disappeared years ago.

Take this card, rip it up, and toss it out the window.

Thread the Needle.

Several years back, at the end of my teen years, some friends and I decided to take a visit to the campus of a supposedly "haunted," abandoned residential institution for the physically and mentally disabled that has been shut down for almost two decades in upstate New York (It was shut down due to patient neglect amongst other unmentionable horrors. Sounds like a huge loss, bad publicity, and an even worse legacy). Although it was trespassing, there was little incentive to keep the curious adolescent away from the sprawling, lush grounds.

As my friends and I walked the paths and noticed details like the unlit lampposts that lined the paths, and the smaller buildings that must have been used for purposes other than housing the residents, our curiousity got the best of us. We spotted one small building about the size of a shed. The only thing keeping us out was a thin sheet of plywood. Nothing a crowbar couldn't fix.

We went inside with our flashlights, and found something shocking and disturbing.
One room was filled with cardboard boxes containing envelopes upon envelopes of personal, detailed medical logs.

I picked one out of a box in the dark at random, and took it home as a souvenir.
The resident's name was Ms. Katz, obviously an elderly Jewish woman.
It detailed at least a few months of her personal life, her activities, her well-being, etc.

One quote I can paraphrase from memory was "Ms. Katz went outside today, sat on the bench, and enjoyed the sunshine." Another line was indicating that she was not feeling well, and that her activity level had dropped.

Ironically, a few weeks back, I wasn't feeling too kosher.
Frankly, I was feeling extremely depressed, had no energy, and had trouble taking care of myself.
It was a victory for me to step outside and relax on the porch for a few hours, enjoying the sunshine and the summer breeze.

In other words, Ms. Katz and I ended up having more in common than I ever would have thought.


I am thoroughly reinvigorated.

*Real camels don't smoke. Neither do smart people.

"What's your major malfunction?"

Well, thankfully, I don't have one anymore.

Why was my mind so messed up, jumbled, and having such odd, anxiety-ridden, and sometimes seemingly contradictory things pop into my head?

Why was it so jacked up?

Why would the odd thoughts racing through my head seem to contradict the qualities and attributes described of me in scripture? 

(Well, first off, they are thoughts, not feelings. They contradict nothing. It is important to know the difference. I try to drown out all of the noise and concentrate but it is difficult sometimes.)

I know that God is not a man that he should lie.
You can take the scripture at its word.

So, what was going on?

Keeping that one metal album in my collection that was in direct contradiction to my moral and religious beliefs. Notice not every metal album had to go, even though I am not a humongous fan of metal. Just one. (God is indicating that although he has standards, too many people are hyper paranoid, superstitious, and restrictive.)

That album stuck around because, you know...I just had to have that really cool guitar riff at my fingertips when I felt like hearing it.

The Lord revealed to me that it did not belong, and I knew that it was the offending party, and that it had to go. I kind of wrestled with it, but what I didn't know was that it was causing me psychological unrest.

All it took was the click of a right mouse button, a deletion of a single album, and a cleared recycle bin and my brain began to function, miraculously, MUCH more smoothly.

The effect was immediate, as others would testify.
Maybe even you.

This brought my memory back to the story of Saul in 1 Samuel, where due to his flagrant disobedience, God allowed an "evil" (KJV) spirit to engage him (It can be equated to one that "causes physical harm," or one that "causes painful hardship." It doesn't necessarily mean "evil" in the sense that we think of it today, as some sort of influential malevolent force, although it can apply in that sense. It depends upon the individual, their tendencies, and their temperament.

I'm going to bring you back to present day, now.

I've been caused some "painful hardship" by God allowing me to be oppressed (not possessed, which is impossible after being born into God's family) due to my own iniquity. My personal tendencies? Major, major anxiety, my vulnerability which evil spirits were given free reign to prey upon due to my disobedience. And trust me, with you people yapping and saying all sorts of nonsense, I had a lot to ruminate over in that severely handicapped state of mind.

Without a malevolent bone in my body, it is the perfect time to remind people of the difference between thoughts and feelings.

It's called "anxiety."
Look it up.

I've been set free from this spirit that has caused such painful hardship in my life.
Boy, can appearances be deceiving!
That being said, God's word is trustworthy, not men.

What are some of the main reasons this has happened?
The first was to discipline me and bring me into compliance with my Lord.
Imagine an undisciplined loose cannon running around.

The next?

To offer yet another straw to those who might have been collecting them that the spiritual realm does in fact exist.